Living in a Bubble

I have been living in Israel for nearly three months now. Well, I should say I have been living on Kibbutz Ketura for nearly three months now, for I quickly discovered that Kibbutz Ketura is not Israel. It may be in Israel, but it is certainly not representative if the country. Being in a coexistence program where I am also living with Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians, I did not expect to have the "typical" Israel experience (whatever that means), but I did expect to gain a deeper understanding of Israeli politics and and of how current events in the region affect people.

Let me start by saying that living on any kibbutz will provide a unique experience unto itself, but Ketura is in a category of its own. Why? It is located in the Arava Valley for one. Most Israelis don't really consider anything in the south to be part of Israel. When Israelis go home for the weekend, they are "going back to Israel." I am in the middle of nowhere, 60 km from civilization, so to speak. It was also founded by Americans with a particular religious view, so despite the fact that I am definitely not in America, the influence is felt quite strongly. It is really easy to shut the rest of the world out - to become an ostrich and put my head in the sand. In some ways I can see why the kibbutzniks decided by move here, but on at the same time, it can be uncomfortable to live in this parallel universe.

I find it frustrating that even while doing this peace building work, I am so disconnected from the political situation that will have significant implications for what we are trying to do here. I have had to go out of my way to stay up on the events in Hebron. I know that there is an election coming up, but I do not have a good sense of how Israelis really feel about the candidates or of what the political climate is right now. I want to know what the man on the street thinks, but I don't have access to him. I want to hear heated discussions about how Netanyahu is going to devastate this country and ruin all hopes for peace, or how people wonder whether Livni will really be able to negotiate with the Palestinians.

Part of the challenge come with being in the Institute. I am living in a bubble inside of a bubble. In some ways I love it. I am with 40 amazing people who share similar values and with whom I have been able to connect in unique ways. I am living with Jordanians and Palestinians in Israel! Who would've thought? But because of the intimate nature of the program, the fact that not all kibbutz members are thrilled with our presence (that was a diplomatic way of putting it, right?), and because we are so busy with classes and work, we are further isolated from the kibbutz community. It is kind of fun to have our own little world where we talk about really hard issues, which sort of creates an environment of belonging to an exclusive club. This little world has also sparked some serious soul searching for me, so in some respects feeling even more isolated while I figure things out (although, I have also created some very strong bonds with people through this process - so more connected and more isolated at the same time?).

How can I really tell that I'm living in a bubble?
- We get sooo excited when mail comes. Not mail for me, mail for anyone (but mail for me is the best, hehe)
- Food rotation in the dining hall!
For example: soup with dinner (for the winter season, I suppose); green bell peppers (last year I always bought green peppers because they were the cheapest and came to despise them; now I'm just happy that it's something new); oatmeal or pancakes for breakfast; something other than chicken for Shabbat
- A three minute walk across the kibbutz seems SO far
- Drinking something other then Nescafe is an event

That's all for now

- M